5052 Aluminium Sheet To Corrosion In Marine Atmospheres

Aluminium alloy 5052 contains nominally 2.5% magnesium & 0.25% chromium. It has good workability, medium static strength, high fatigue strength, good weldability, and very good corrosion resistance, especially in marine atmospheres. It also has the low density and excellent thermal conductivity common to all aluminium alloys. It is commonly used in sheet, plate and tube form.

Description 5052 marine grade aluminium alloy sheet is an aluminium magnesium alloy which can be hardened by cold work: it is not heat treatable to higher strength. It is about mid way through the series of aluminium magnesium alloys for alloying content and strength. It has excellent fatigue properties, with an endurance limit of 115 MPa in the H32 temper and 125 MPa in the H34 temper.

The corrosion resistance of aluminium alloys relies on a protective surface oxide film, which when damaged is readily repaired by the rapid reaction between aluminium and oxygen. However, the high reactivity of the base metal can give rapid corrosion if the film cannot be repaired, so aluminium alloys are not suitable for use with reducing media. 5052 can be anodised to improve the corrosion resistance by thickening the protective surface film.